Ask Jacob

I suspect that the problem is not with the speakers but the headphone jack. When Macs detect power traveling through the headphone jack, they automatically mute the internal speakers and change the output source to the headphones. What you are describing sounds like there is a short circuit in your headphone jack that is tricking your Mac into thinking headphones are plugged in. Look in the headphone port to see if there is any debris or a broken headphone jack. If it looks clear, you should next try cleaning it with a Q-Tip-like tool dipped in rubbing alcohol. If that fails, then it could just be a failing audio jack. The problem is that the jack is part of the logic board. A service center could possibly repair the problem but the likely repair would be to replace the logic board. Admittedly, that is not a cost effective option. You can always us PC speakers connected to the headphone port replace the internal speakers.